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Coming Home……

So here I am at Kuwait Airport, having a cuppa tea on my way home from my printmaking residency in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. It seems like just a few days ago that I was sitting here on the way over,but it was almost a month. The time I spent there was so intense, so packed that it shot by.

Jet lag, a visit to the ancient monuments at Taxila; working day and night in the Zaira Zaka printmaking studio with my fellow artists Hannah Lawson, Zaira Ahmed Zaka and Atif Khan; the exhibition launch at the fabulous Satrang Gallery in Islamabad; the hectic weekend in Lahore for my birthday; a full schedule of meeting with artists and gallery owners when we came back from Crazy Lahore.

I made a lot of new work; 4 editions of drypoint etchings, 4 Monotypes and 40 drawings so far. I need a holiday!

This is a pastel drawing I did shortly before we left, at sunset at Lake Rawal in the Bani Gala area of Islamabad. I used Daler Rowney soft pastels into my Khadi sketchbook.

This residency has been supported by Wales Arts International and Arts Council Wales

Even More Lahore

Lahore is probably the craziest city I’ve ever been in, makes London and New York look provincial. The traffic is relentless but I was up early on Sunday morning and I sat in the hotel foyer, looking out of the window at silence. No traffic, no people, no mayhem. So I had a quick scribble. Like I always do.

Just one more day to go on my printmaking residency in Rawalpindi, flying home tomorrow. It’s gone so fast. It’s been supported by Wales Arts International and Arts Council Wales.

More From Lahore

Here’s a little sketch I did in Lahore at the weekend. We’d gone to visit the old part of the city and ended up at Cooco’s Den, a famous restaurant in the red light district. It’s at the top of an old brothel and is decorated with masses of carvings, old and new, stained glass and artefacts. It’s one of a kind. I sketched just a tiny fragment of the place, a large wooden elephant, carved and standing in amongst the old hammered beams. I’m thinking of turning it into a drypoint. Drawn into my little spotty A6 sketchbook with Faber Castell Pitt pens, sizes S and F.

This residency has been supported by Wales Arts International and Arts Council Wales.

Punjab Sunset

The drive back from Crazy Lahore was completely different to the torrential rain, hail and thunder we’d endured on the way down. The calm, sunny afternoon over the plains gave way to a beautiful sunset as we approached the mountains on the final leg of our journey back to Pindi.

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I sketched these quickly, just noting down impressions, using Daler Rowney artist quality soft pastels into my Khadi hand-made paper sketchbook, around 15cms square.

This residency has been supported by Wales Arts International and Arts Council Wales.

Rain. Hail. Thunder. Picnic.

Travelling down to Lahore from Rawalpindi on my birthday, we hit a huge storm, so heavy that we had to stop on the motorway verge so we had our picnic of egg sandwiches and crisps in the car while the torrential rain and hail – yes hail in Pakistan – thundered down on the roof of the car. Just like Spring bank holiday in Britain! I scribbled fleeting impressions of the sky and land; the light changed constantly and it was a real challenge to get something down on paper. When we arrived in Lahore, the city was flooded, but that was quite good for us because it kept the temperature and the dust down.

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I drew into a Khadi handmade paper sketchbook, approximately 15cms square, using artist quality Daler Rowney soft pastels……and my finger! Before I came to Pakistan, I cut up lots of squares of acid-free tissue (kite) paper to interleave between the pages as pastels are very messy and I wanted to keep the drawings clean.

This residency has been supported by Wales Arts International and Arts Council Wales.

Whistlestop tour of Lahore

I was going to continue the story of the Punjab thunderstorm this evening but we’re exhausted from a whistlestop tour of Lahore today in the heat. So here are the next 2 drawings in the series. We’d just reached the end of the mountain bit of the road and the light started to change, so I scribbled away. There was nothing at that minute to suggest that a storm was on the way.

Drawn into my small square Khadi sketchbook using Daler Rowney soft pastels.

This residency has been supported by Wales Arts International and Arts Council Wales

Birthday Adventure, Pakistan

We set out from Rawalpindi this morning to travel to Lahore for my birthday. As we drove through the gently rolling hills, I started speed sketching impressions of the lovely landscape with my little Khadi sketchbook and Daler Rowney soft pastels (artist quality). We dropped down steep hills that seemed to go on for miles, the surrounding countryside diffused in a warm golden sunshine.

As we reached the bottom and joined the massive plain that stretches all the way to Lahore, the sky darkened and we drove through the worst thunderstorm I have ever experienced. But that’s for tomorrow’s blog…….

This residency has been supported by Wales Arts International and Arts Council Wales

The Big Show (And A Scribble)

So last night (April 16th) was the night of the exhibition in Islamabad that our collaborative group of artists had worked so hard on throughout the previous 10 days. Here are some of the pictures of the opening at the Satrang Gallery. The British High Commissioner, Philip Barton, opened the show and was genuinely interested in the work and also in the collaboration between artists of the two nations. The staff, under gallery director, Asma Rashid Khan, were fantastic. Here’s a write up in a local paper if you want to read more. I’ve done a slide show of the gallery pictures below. The little sketch above is a signwriter who was working in the local Nando’s in Islamabad when we popped in for a salad. So I scribbled him. As you do.

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This residency has been supported by Wales Arts International and Arts Council Wales.

The Aftermath!

The day after our epic all-nighter, editioning 12 drypoint plates between three artists, Zaira Ahmad Zaka, Hannah F Lawson and myself. Here’s the studio afterwards – trashed. We have a big clear up job ahead. But first, setting up the exhibition at the Satrang Gallery in Islamabad.

After a shower, we went over to the gallery to chat to the lovely staff about placing our work. Here’s Hannah contemplating.

Then a spot of tea in the tearoom next to the gallery. Don’t mind if we do, we’re British y’know.

And checking out the exhibition blurb on a marble pillar.

Kara Seaman’s work, waiting for the arrival of Mister Pink.

Afterwards, we went to an exhibition of mixed media work by Behishte Gumshuda at the Khass Gallery where we met an eclectic group of interesting people who made us forget our exhaustion. The show is quiet and contemplative and I particularly liked the multi-layered works in graphite, but then I would, I’m a scribbler. Talking of scribbling, here’s a quick scribble I managed to fit in at Khaas. Oh and they served the most delicious samosas I have ever tasted. 😀

This residency has been supported by Wales Arts International and Arts Council Wales

Late And Manky.

Pulling another late one at the Pindi Printshop, we’re about a third of the way through a mass editioning stint. The three of us are editioning 12 tiny drypoints. They have to go to the framers in the morning but they dry quickly in this atmosphere. Don’t have time to write anymore. Back to getting manky.

This residency has been supported by Wales Arts International and Arts Council Wales

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